Season 2 of The Umbrella Academy saw the Hargreeves reuniting in 1963 to stop a new apocalypse, but in the process, they changed the past in many ways – and here’s how they did so. Based on the comic book series of the same name by Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá, The Umbrella Academy made its debut on Netflix in February 2019 and was renewed for a second season a few weeks later. The series follows the dysfunctional family of adopted siblings, the Hargreeves, who have a couple of things in common aside from having extraordinary abilities.
All seven of them, along with other 36 babies, were born on the same day, at the same time, and to women who weren’t pregnant when the day began. Not long after, eccentric scientist and billionaire Sir Reginald Hargreeves set out to adopt as many of those babies as he could, but only got seven. As they developed unique sets of superpowers, he trained them and formed the superhero team “The Umbrella Academy” – but he wasn’t a good father, and the siblings parted ways. The Hargreeves reunited years later for Reginald’s funeral and to stop the fast-approaching apocalypse, which turned out to be triggered by their supposedly powerless sister, Vanya (Ellen Page).
The Hargreeves failed to stop the apocalypse, and the only way to save themselves was to travel to a safer point in time, which they achieved thanks to Five’s (Aidan Gallagher) time-traveling powers. However, as Five had never jumped with other people, the siblings ended up scattered in Dallas, Texas, between 1960 and 1963. They all moved on with their lives and eventually found each other just in time to stop a new apocalypse, but through big and small actions they all changed the past, thus altering the timeline and sending them back to a completely different 2019. Here’s how the Umbrella Academy changed the past.
The Hargreeves Convinced Reginald Not To Adopt Them
A very important moment during the Hargreeves’ time in 1963 was meeting with their father, Reginald, years before they were born. After following him around, Reginald invited them to dinner so they could talk, and Five explained everything that happened – from the creation of the team, to how they landed in 1960’s Dallas. Reginald was unimpressed and refused to help, though he did give Five some valuable advice that came in handy in the final episode. This encounter played against them, as when they returned to 2019, they found out that the “Umbrella Academy” didn’t exist. Instead, Reginald created the “Sparrow Academy”, with different team members – except Ben, who’s alive in this new timeline. Meeting with the Umbrella Academy convinced Reginald not to adopt them when the time came, and the only reason why Ben is part of the Sparrow Academy is because Reginald (obviously) didn’t meet him in 1963.
Diego Ruined Grace’s Perception Of Reginald
One of the biggest surprises of The Umbrella Academy season 2 was the return of Grace, though not as the robot nanny viewers met in season 1. The Hargreeves (and viewers) learned that Grace was a real person, who worked for NASA and was dating Reginald. Grace was oblivious to Reginald’s experiments, plans, and work with the Majestic 12, and when Diego told her Reginald was planning to kill John F. Kennedy, she became suspicious and found a secret room full of pictures, schemes, and more. When she confronted Reginald, he told her there were parts of his life he couldn’t share with her at the moment, but eventually would. Grace couldn’t accept that and left, putting an end to their relationship. Although Reginald can be cold and emotionally distant, the end of his relationship with Grace – and especially after how it happened – surely had an impact on him.
Allison Got Married
Of all the Hargreeves, Allison was the only one who got married during her time in Dallas. Her husband was Raymond Chestnut (Yusuf Gatewood), a civil rights activist, with whom she worked on various campaigns. Once she revealed her powers to him, she showed him how they work by going to a whites-only diner and “rumoring” the waiter into serving her coffee and burning himself with it. Allison not only changed the timeline by marrying Raymond, but also by using her powers on the waiter, as her actions could have incited more racism and make the movement’s work even more complicated than it already was.
Vanya Saved Harlan’s Life
Vanya was hit by a car after landing in Dallas, causing her temporary amnesia. As a result, she was taken in by the woman responsible, Sissy, and became close to her and her son, Harlan. Sissy and Vanya fell in love, but Sissy’s abusive husband, Carl, wasn’t going to let that happen. After learning what she did prior to arriving at Dallas and using her powers to defend herself against the Swedes, Vanya decided to leave the family, but Harlan, upon hearing her plans, ran away. Vanya found him in a lake and saved him from drowning, passing onto him some of her powers. Vanya and Sissy later decided to leave with Harlan, but Carl stopped them. Harlan later showed he was developing powers like Vanya’s and Carl tried to kill him, but Harlan deflected the bullet and killed his father. Harlan’s powers began to go out of control, so Vanya and the rest went to his aim. Vanya saved him by taking his powers away, though it was revealed at the end that he retained telekinetic abilities. Not only did she save Harlan twice, but she also (unintentionally) gave him powers, which the series could revisit in future seasons.
Klaus Warned Dave Of His Death
In season 1, Klaus accidentally traveled back in time and ended up serving in the Vietnam War, where he met Dave. Klaus fell in love with him, but Dave was later killed in battle. This haunted Klaus for a long time, and once he realized he was back in the 1960s, he saw an opportunity to stop Dave from enlisting and thus dying young. Sadly, his plan didn’t go as expected, and Dave ended up enlisting earlier, in big part due to pressure from his homophobic uncle and also because of what Klaus told him. Klaus could have sent Dave to his death way earlier or he might have been able to save him, but he won’t be able to go back to him.
Klaus’ Impact On The Cult
Klaus didn’t waste his time in the 1960s and ended up creating a cult – but it got out of control. Klaus was fed up with being their leader and ran away, but his followers managed to find him. He then decided to come clean and told them he was a fraud, but they thought he was talking in metaphors and were further inspired by him. With no way out, Klaus abandoned them again and appointed one of his most devoted followers, Keechie, as the new leader. The cult lived on, and they found a new member on the road: Axel (Kris Holden-Ried), the last Swede standing from the trio of assassins that were after the Hargreeves all season long.
